This invention relates to radio engineering, and in particular it concerns methods of and devices for shaping code data for remote wireless transmission and reception of target information to establish contact between users carrying portable devices combined with limited range radio transceivers. The invention consists in a process of searching for desired people and required information sources, establishing contacts between people, including friendly, business and professional contacts, sexual, family-building contacts, contacts involving hobbies, interests, commerce, collecting, music, literature, arts, cinema, theater, sports, including socialization within communities of fans, mutual exchange of information, and games with one or more participants.
At present, a portable pocket device known as Lovegetty, comprising a miniature radio transceiver, is in wide use. Once activated, a Lovegetty device emits a periodic radio signal of specific characteristics. Similar devices, activated and positioned at a close distance from the signal source, are capable of receiving this signal and informing its owner, by audio call, vibration call or any other means, about the signal having been received. The Lovegetty""s owner, therefore, will always be able to determine if there is someone with another activated Lovegetty device nearby.
The idea of using this device is helping people seeking to expand their range of acquaintances to establish contact with one another. A Lovegetty device switched on in the pocket signals its owner""s desire to make new friends or find like-thinking people. Two device owners finding themselves in close proximity can immediately become acquainted, for either of them knows that the other is ready for this.
This Lovegetty device is disadvantageous in that it is too much simple, and does not allow any additional functions to be realized or make a search for friends more determined and purposeful. A radio signal emitted by a Lovegetty device does not carry any substantial information. For this reason, even if its owner really wanted to get acquainted with some stamp collectors over 55 years of age, his Lovegetty device would also respond to a radio signal sent by a 14-year-old rock aficionado, which would not lead to anything more than waste of time on both sides.
Accordingly, the search for, and contact with, a desired user or like-thinking person is complicated, because the signal emitted by the Lovegetty does not carry any specialized profile information allowing signals to be discriminated from one another on reception and a signal carrying target profile information to be singled out. Profile is a set of standard information about a customer (user), commonly including gender, age, anthropometric characteristics, hobbies, etc. Target profile is understood to mean information similarly organized by the customer (user) about a target of his or her search. Understandably, the customer (user) profile is always specific (describing a really living particular individual), whereas the target profile always contains tolerable ranges (xe2x80x9cage from 30 to 40, height from 1.60 to 1.85 m, and so on). The lack of function of comparing existing customer profiles against available target profiles in a certain formalized comparison algorithm indicating the coincidence rate of profiles in certain conventional units, for example, points, does not allow a user to find a desired counterpart or like-thinking person within a certain local milieu efficiently or rapidly.
Known in the art is a method of wireless transmission and reception of code information for remote search and identification between two users, wherein a portable computerized device combined with a transceiver is adapted to input, using an alphanumeric keyboard, into its memory data constituting at least one array of generated information; transform the data of each information array to a personal code; transmit at least one personal code in the form of pulsed radio signals through the propagation medium to be received by the transceiver of at least one other portable computerized device operating within the range of the transceiver of the first device; receive pulsed code radio signals emitted by the transceivers of any other portable computerized devices; compare the codes received with at least one personal code; and, if the personal code is found to coincide with at least one of the codes received in at least a majority of data, decode and output the received data corresponding to that code to perceive visually or hear the information array corresponding to that code; further, on establishing correspondence between the information array received and the information array stored in the memory, send a pulsed coincidence radio signal in the code, in which coincidence has been established, in order to establish direct contact with the user of that code, and receive a response pulsed radio signal in the personal code for the users to identify each other, confirming the establishment of direct contact (ref. French Application No. 2,615,957, GO1S 3/00, published Dec. 2, 1988).
This prior art method of transmitting and receiving code information by users for searching and identifying one another at a distance is specific in that a pulsed radio signal emitted into the propagation medium carries specific information converted into a code that can only be received by a user the memory of whose device stores information corresponding to that transmitted. Accordingly, a specific user is enabled to reduce the time needed to find another, desired user or like-thinking person by reception being denied to the code information from users whose codes do not correspond to the requirements of the particular user.
This method is disadvantageous in that it is only usable in a localized zone at a small signal transmission range and is intended for a small number of users. For contact to be established by this method, it is essential that all the users be present in the same localized area within the effective range of their radio transceivers. In this range only can a user receive signals from any other user. If the two users are at a distance exceeding the range of their radio transceivers, no contact can be established between them. This method, as a novel form of communication and contact, was developed and designed for search to be effected for people with the purpose of making their acquaintance in the conditions of so-called acquaintance clubs. This method helps simplify the formation of a database of club members and visitors, compare existing customer profiles with available target profiles manually or by computer, in order to establish the rate of coincidence and support measures for contacts to be established between customers.
Another drawback of this method is its low accuracy and considerable difficulty in determining the location of one user relative to another user because the signal received does not carry any specific information. According to this method, an audio signal only indicates that a desired user is nearby. Direct contact cannot be established at a distance. If connection is established between the users (indicated by a beep-beep signal), search is conducted by turning the frame antenna to ascertain the direction of maximum loudness of the audio signal. Search is conducted according to the level of the signal, provided always that one user seeks, while the other stands in place. If the second user moves at this time, changes in the audio signal in the first user""s device would require the direction to be adjusted.
The developers of this method did not intend to go beyond club territory. It has been established, however, that many people wanting to make new friends do not rely on the facilities of such dating services and clubs for many reasonsxe2x80x94shortage of time or money, reticence, lack of faith in a positive result, and so on. Besides, many of existing singles clubs and dating services have been set up with the only aim of promoting marriage through new friendships, and do not allow, for example, people to make friends for taking up sports or other pursuits together.
Known in the art is a portable device for remote wireless transmission of code information, comprising a radio transceiver having a receiving part designed to receive pulsed input radio signals, a transmitting part designed to transmit pulsed output signals into the propagation medium, a mini-processor associated with these two parts and forming, together with a memory unit, a software unit, a digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converter unit, and an input-output unit, a mini-computer provided with a display to visually represent the information being received and transmitted, an alphanumeric keyboard for inputting data into the memory unit of the computer and an audio-announcing unit, designed to generate audio signals, the mini-computer being provided with appropriate software to perform the functions of receiving analog signals from the receiving part, converting said signals into digital signals, comparing the data of these signals with the data stored in the memory unit, processing the digital signal carrying data in a code corresponding to the personal code stored in the memory unit and the data inputted from the keyboard to generate personal codes, and outputting an analog signal confirming reception of data in the coincidence code to the transmitting part for transmission thereof through the propagation medium within the framework of a single protocol (ref. French Application No. 2,615,957, GO1S 3/00, published Dec. 2, 1988).
This device is disadvantageous in that it has an inadequate functional efficiency, because the device performs, in accordance with the prior art method, the functions of receiving and transmitting target information only and has a limited effective range.
The present invention is aimed at solving an engineering problem of expanding the range of transmission and reception of target code information at a distance to establish contact between users carrying portable devices combined with limited range radio transceivers without changing the range thereof. The technical result achieved by this invention consists in improving the efficiency of targeted search of one user by another and in establishing contact between the users.
The above technical result is, in respect of a first method, achieved by that, in a method of wireless transmission and reception of code information for users to search for and identify one another at a distance, wherein data comprising at least one array of generated information is inputted from an alphanumeric keyboard into the memory of a portable computerized device combined with a radio transceiver, the data in each information array is then converted into a personal code; at least one personal code is transmitted in the form of pulsed radio signals through the propagation medium to be received by the radio transceiver of at least one other portable computerized device operating within the range of the radio transceiver of the first device; the pulsed radio signals carrying the codes emitted by the radio transceivers of other portable computerized devices are received; the codes received are compared with at least one personal code; and, if at least one of the codes received is found to coincide with the personal code in at least a majority of the data, the received data corresponding to such code are decoded and outputted for visual or audio perception of the information array corresponding to that code; if the information array received corresponds to the information array stored in the memory, a pulsed radio coincidence signal is transmitted in the code in which coincidence has been established for achieve direct contact with the user of that code; and a pulsed response radio signal confirming establishment of direct contact is received in the personal code for the users to identify one another; the radio transceivers of the users are, following reception of the pulsed radio signals in the personal code confirming establishment of direct contact, switched to the radio communication mode, while in the absence of coincidence between the codes received and the personal code those codes are inputted temporarily into the memory and pulsed radio signals of these codes are transmitted at least once or during a specified time interval into the propagation medium, the pulsed radio signals of the codes, which do not coincide with the personal code, being transmitted during at least the absence of the pulsed radio signal carrying the code, corresponding to the personal code in at least a majority of data.
In this process, as data is inputted into the memory from the alphanumeric keyboard and represented on the display on the computerized device, a set of data units differing in substantial content from one another is formed, each of the units of the set being encoded and assigned a personal code.
Furthermore, after data units have been formed, at least one code of the set of personal codes is transmitted in the form of pulsed radio signals through the propagation medium to be received by the radio transceivers of other portable computerized devices.
The above technical result of a second method is achieved by that, in a method of wireless remote transmission and reception of code information for establishing contact between users, wherein data representing at least one array of generated information is inputted from an alphanumeric keyboard into the memory of a portable computerized device of one user, said portable computerized device being combined with a radio transceiver, the data in said information array is converted into a personal code of the user; the personal code of the user is transmitted in the form of pulsed radio signals through the propagation medium to be received by the radio transceiver of another portable computerized device of another user, operating within the effective range of the radio transceiver of the first device; the pulsed radio signals of the codes transmitted by the radio transceivers of the portable computerized devices of other users are received; the codes received are compared with the personal code to detect a radio signal carrying a code corresponding to the personal code of the user; and, if any one of the received codes of other users is found to coincide with the personal code, the received data corresponding to that code is decoded and outputted for visual or audio representation thereof; and, in the absence of coincidence between the codes received and the personal code of the user, the codes of the other users are inputted temporarily into the memory and pulsed radio signals of said codes are retransmitted at least once or during a specified time interval into the propagation medium to be received by the radio transceivers of other portable computerized devices or repeaters operating within the effective range of at least one radio transceiver or repeater emitting pulsed radio signals of codes for subsequent retransmission of said radio signals, the radio transceivers of each portable computerized device retransmitting the pulsed radio signals of the codes which do not coincide with the personal code at least during the absence of a pulsed radio signal of a code corresponding to the personal code.
Furthermore, if the coded information array received is found to correspond to the information array stored in the memory, a pulsed coincidence radio signal is sent in the coincidence code to establish direct contact with the user of said code and a pulsed response personal code radio signal confirming establishment of direct contact is received.
After the pulsed coincidence radio signal and the pulsed response radio signal have been transmitted transmission of the radio signals in these codes is terminated.
After the pulsed coincidence radio signal and the pulsed response radio signal have been transmitted transmission of the radio signals in these codes is terminated and a switch is made to radio communication, or video data transmission, or telephone communication, or communication via computer networks.
The above technical result of a third method is achieved by that, in a method of remote wireless transmission and reception of code information, wherein data representing an array of generated information prepared for another user is inputted from an alphanumeric keyboard into the memory of a portable computerized device of a user, said portable computerized device being combined with a radio transceiver, the data in said information array is converted into a personal code of the user; the personal code of the user is transmitted in the form of pulsed radio signals through the propagation medium to be received by the radio transceiver of the computerized device of the other user operating within the range of the radio transceiver of the portable computerized device of the first user; the pulsed code radio signals transmitted by the radio transceivers of the portable computerized devices of other users are received; the codes received are compared with the personal code to identify a radio signal carrying a code corresponding to the respective personal code of the first user; and, if one of the received codes of the other users is found to coincide with the personal code of the first user, the received data corresponding to that code is decoded and outputted for perception thereof and for transmission of the code information to a distance exceeding the range of the radio transceiver of the computerized device, to the radio transceivers of the computerized devices of the other users operating within the range of the radio transceiver of the computerized device of the first user; and, in the absence of coincidence between the received code of the first user and the personal code, the personal code of the first user is temporarily inputted into the memory and pulsed radio signals of that code are retransmitted at least once or during a specified time interval to the propagation medium to be received by the radio transceivers of the portable computerized devices of the users or repeaters operating within the range thereof for subsequent retransmission of said radio signals, the radio transceivers of each portable computerized device retransmitting the pulsed code radio signals, which do not coincide with the personal code, at least during the absence of a pulsed radio signal carrying a code corresponding to the personal code.
The above technical result of the device is achieved by that, in a portable device for remote wireless transmission and reception of code information, comprising a radio transceiver having a receiving part designed to receive pulsed input radio signals, a transmitting part designed to transmit pulsed output signals to the propagation medium, a processor associated with said parts and forming, together with a memory unit and a software unit, a digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converter unit and an input-output unit, a mini-computer provided with a display to visually represent the information received and transmitted, an alphanumeric keyboard for inputting data into the memory unit of the computer and an audio announcing unit designed for outputting audio signals, the mini-computer being provided with appropriate software to perform the functions of receiving analog signals from the receiving part; converting the same into digital signals; comparing the data of said signals with the data stored in the memory unit; processing the digital signal carrying data in a code corresponding to the personal code stored in the memory unit and the data inputted from the keyboard to form personal codes; and outputting an analog signal confirming the reception of data in a coincidence code to the transmitting part for transmitting the same through the propagation medium within the framework of a common protocol, wherein, in accordance with the invention, the mini-computer is provided with an additional function of temporarily inputting digital signals of codes that do not coincide with the personal codes stored in the memory unit into the memory unit and outputting said signal to the transmitting part for transmission thereof through the propagation medium.
The foregoing features of each of the methods and the device are essential and interrelated to form a stable combination of essential features sufficient to produce the desired technical result.